The West Wing

Kaiser

Description

Kaiser produces public opinion polls that measure voter support for reproductive rights. Amy cites their survey—62% back a woman's right to choose—while pressing Josh to push a veto on the Foreign Operations bill's global gag rule. Josh and the team weigh this data against political costs, as it underscores public backing for choice amid funding fights and pragmatic tradeoffs.

Event Involvements

Events with structured involvement data

2 events
S4E18 · Privateers
Whistleblower Walk-In — Testimony Upended

Kaiser is invoked as the source of polling data Amy uses to press the political case on the gag rule, serving as a rhetorical instrument to justify riskier political moves during the crisis.

Active Representation

Referenced indirectly as poll data cited by staff in strategy discussion.

Power Dynamics

Influences staff argumentation but does not have direct operational power in the event.

Institutional Impact

Polling data pressures staff to weigh moral posture against practical consequences, affecting strategic choices.

Internal Dynamics

Not directly engaged; functions as an external input into staff debate.

Organizational Goals
Provide public-opinion data to inform political strategy Shape interpretation of public sentiment on reproductive rights
Influence Mechanisms
Polling data and public-opinion analytics Credibility as a research institution used for persuasion
S4E18 · Privateers
Veto Threat: Principle vs. Pragmatism over the Gag Rule

Kaiser is invoked as the pollster whose data Amy cites (62% support) to bolster the moral case against the gag rule; the organization functions as the empirical backbone to public-opinion arguments used in internal persuasion.

Active Representation

Through cited poll numbers invoked by staff to justify policy positions and to provide political cover.

Power Dynamics

Exerts soft power by shaping perceived public mandate; not directly procedural but influential in persuasion and political calculus.

Institutional Impact

Poll data functions as rhetorical ammunition during moral-legal tradeoff decisions and can legitimize policy positions.

Internal Dynamics

Neutral data-provider; its influence depends on how staff invoke and interpret the numbers.

Organizational Goals
Provide accurate measures of public opinion on reproductive rights. Inform policymakers and public debate with polling data.
Influence Mechanisms
Publishing and citation of poll results. Framing of public sentiment used by staffers in internal debates.